Program: Northern Medical Program
I was interested in family medicine before I started medical school. It all started when I lost my father to lung cancer at a young age. I remember watching from my window as the volunteer driver picked my dad up for his appointments at the BC Cancer Agency. The level of support provided to my family, kindness of the healthcare team, and opportunity to provide longitudinal care are what attracted me to family medicine.
Growing up, I had a responsibility to care for my sister. She lives with a mental disability and is dependent on my family and I for many of her activities of daily living. One of my most proud accomplishments was finding a creative solution to encourage her to brush her teeth twice a day, independently. Since I am a former dental hygienist, this was huge for me. Caring for my sister helped me understand what it meant to truly consider the psychosocial aspects of health that influence our patients and to provide holistic care. Being able to advocate for patients, especially those who are unable to advocate for themselves, is something that I want in my career as a family physician.
My favourite moment during my time at UBC was watching my first vaginal delivery as a second-year medical student with my family medicine clinical instructor. I remember driving home afterwards with tears in my eyes. I was in awe at what I had witnessed and how amazing our bodies truly are! We are so privileged to be part of many of these special moments as a medical student. I am grateful for our patients who have allowed us to be part of their care.
My advice for students entering medicine is to be kind to yourselves. It can often feel like we are expected to learn and know many things, especially on clinical rotations. The sheer volume of content can be quite overwhelming. Take time for yourself, do things that fill your bucket, and spend time with loved ones. Those are the things that truly matter. A mentor once told me, “You can do it all, but you cannot do it all at the same time.” Medicine is supposed to be a career, it should not be your entire life!
I am excited to be starting my family medicine residency at UBC’s Family Medicine Program – Coastal Site in North Vancouver. I found myself interested in many things throughout medical school and I am sure many can attest to how conflicted I was, even up until CaRMS submission. This was truly the best fit for me!